Finally, change for health care

Fundamental change in the nation’s health care system — change that puts the health of Americans first — has been a long time coming.

Finally, with a president and many Democrats willing to stake their political futures on the issue, no amount of obstructionism, political threats or outright lies stopped Congress from doing the right thing. Among those Democrats was Rep. Scott Murphy of Glens Falls, who stood against tremendous pressure and joined his local colleague, Paul Tonko of Amsterdam, in helping to pass the bill on Sunday.

This bill, with amendments that the Senate is expected to pass soon, sends a message to tens of millions of people who until now had heard, “Sorry, you don’t fit into the business model.”

The lives of 32 million people who don’t have insurance will be better for it. For those who do have coverage, this bill promises to hold down costs that were rising at a pace that threatened to make health care unaffordable. Senior citizens will get more help with prescription drugs; eventually, the all-too-pleasantly nicknamed “doughnut hole” that forces many to spend thousands of their fixed-income dollars will be eliminated.

Consider this: Today, in the richest country in the world, a sick child can be denied health coverage if an insurance company decides that boy or girl isn’t profitable enough.

Three months from now, that child’s family will have access to an insurance program for high-risk people. The premiums will be subsidized, if necessary, for those who can’t afford it.

In six months, the law will require insurers to cover all children, regardless of their health.

For adults, health care reform will bring relief as well. Anyone denied coverage will be able to get insurance through the new high-risk pool three months from now. In six months, no one with coverage could lose it because they’re too sick.

And by 2014, no one of any age will be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition.

After a year of debate and narrow votes, however, the issue is far from settled.

Congress and the President will need to be vigilant in the coming months and years, as the legislation is phased in, against attempts by the health care industry to squeeze individuals and businesses for every last dollar. Congress need only recall the recent spate of interest rate and fee hikes adopted by credit card companies out to buffer their bottom lines against new consumer protections.

Health care reform also faces a Republican Party still unified in its determination to block the most significant social program in almost half a century. The GOP hopes to carry its yearlong campaign of stonewalling, disinformation and cries of a “government takeover” and “socialism” to the polls in November, and undoubtedly to the presidential race in 2012. It is the Democrats’ task to keep making the case for reform.

Make no mistake: With years before it fully takes effect, health reform will face attempts to weaken or gut it for elections to come.

It will face, in other words, the real death panel, packed with partisans, ideologues and special interests determined to have their way, at the nation’s expense.